Updating Flushing Meadows Robber steals cash
Parks works to make the space more accessible from hibachi patron
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Police are asking for
the public’s assistance in
identifying a thief who ran
off with thousands of dollars
in cash and apparel in Fresh
Meadows last week.
Law enforcement sources
said that on Thursday, July
11, just after 11 p.m., a man
entered the rear door of
the Tokyo Hibachi Steak
House & Sushi restaurant
located at 184-16 Horace
Harding Expwy.
The robber allegedly
approached the 48-year-old
male victim and demanded
his watch and bag, which
had approximately $3,000
in cash. Police said the
suspect then ran off in an
unknown direction.
Officers from the 107th
Precinct responded to the
incident. There were no
reported injuries.
Police described the
suspect as a 25- to 30-year-old
Hispanic man, who stands at
5 feet 10 inches and weighs
around 200 pounds.
Anyone with information
in regard to this incident
is asked to call the NYPD’s
Crime Stoppers Hotline
at 800-577-TIPS (8477)
or for Spanish, 888-57-
PISTA (74782). All calls are
kept confidential.
Reach reporter Jenna
Bagcal by email at jbagcal@
qns.com or by phone at (718)
260-2583.
NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, joined Parks Chair of Community Board 4 Gregory
Spock, Flushing Meadows Park Conservancy President Jean Silva, and community members to break
ground on new improvements to Flushing Meadows Corona Park through the Parks Without Borders
(PWB) initiative. Courtesy of NYC Parks/Daniel Avila
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
City officials and
community members on July
10 marked the groundbreaking
on new improvements to
Flushing Meadows Corona
Park through a new initiative
that will revamp the park
providing more open access
for residents.
Parks without
Borders (PWB) is a design
concept that improves the
areas where parks meet
their neighborhoods —
park entrances, edges, and
spaces adjacent to parks.
By extending parks into
communities, opening
sight lines, adjusting gates,
and adding furnishings
outside of parks’ traditional
borders, PWB will improve
New Yorkers’ access to
quality parks.
NYC Parks Commissioner
Mitchell Silver was joined
by FAICP, Parks Chair
of Community Board 4
Gregory Spock, and Flushing
Meadows Park Conservancy
President Jean Silva for the
groundbreaking at the park.
Funding to remodel the
park was provided by a $4.5
million allocation from Mayor
Bill de Blasio.
“Flushing Meadows
Corona Park is an incredible
recreational resource for
residents of Queens, and home
to some of our city’s most
recognizable landmarks,”
said Silver. “Through Parks
Without Borders, we are
redesigning the Henry
Hudson entrance where this
park meets the neighborhood,
and transforming it into
a welcoming passageway
for generations of visitors
to enjoy.”
Nominated for PWB by the
community, the $4.5 million
Flushing Meadows Corona
Park project will reconstruct
the entrance of the park at
111th Street between 53rd and
56th avenues. Improvements
will include a reconstructed
central entrance plaza, new
sidewalks, wider pedestrian
routes, and an expanded
planting area. The new,
accessible Henry Hudson
entrance will welcome
visitors into the park and
lead them directly to the
Unisphere, a focal point of
Flushing Meadows Corona
Park.
The project is anticipated
to be completed in spring
2020.
The Parks Without Borders
initiative was announced in
November 2015 with a call
for community involvement.
NYC Parks asked New Yorkers
to nominate the sites that
would benefit the most from
a PWB improvement project.
Utilizing an online survey and
37 conferences with citizens,
the Parks Department received
more than 6,000 nominations
for 691 parks—approximately
30 percent of its parks. The
eight selected showcase
projects, sharing $40 million
in funding from de Blasio,
were revealed in May 2016;
and an additional $10 million
has been applied to another 40
capital projects in progress.
The other PWB showcase
projects include: Fort Greene
Park and Prospect Park
(Brooklyn); Hugh Grant
Circle / Virginia Park and
Playground (Bronx); Jackie
Robinson Park and Seward
Park (Manhattan); Faber
Park (Staten Island); and
Flushing Meadows Corona
Park (Queens).
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by email at
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718) 260-
4526.
Photos courtesy of NYPD
FLUSHING TIMES (USPS#03925) is published weekly by Queens CNG LLC, 41-02 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, NY 11361, (718) 229-0300. The entire contents of this publication are copyright 2018. All rights reserved.
The newspaper will not be liable for errors appearing in any advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Periodicals postage paid at Flushing, N.Y. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the
FLUSHING TIMES C/O Queens CNG LLC 41-02 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, N.Y. 11361
2 TIMESLEDGER, JULY 19-25, 2019 QNS.COM
/qns.com
/QNS.COM
link
